Matters of the Heart
by Helena Mira
Summary: The new school year brings love into the lives of the older children, as Phoebe and the Professor settle in as an "old married couple." Of course the time is full of happiness and heartache. All of this backdrop to the soon to be happening Christening when the family from England, California, and all over will be coming in to celebrate the big day.
1. Prologue

_I do not own (most of) these characters and make no profit from their use._

_Much of this storyline has been pre-established in the story "New Beginnings: The Everett Family Saga Continues."_

**Matters of the Heart**

**Prologue**

It was just an observation on his part, but Professor Hal Everett had begun to notice that now that his own love life had settled into something akin to domestic bliss, those of the young folk in the family had now become more prominent and fraught with their own dramatic tensions. Oh face it, Hal, he thought. They have actually begun to have love lives. You've settled into a comfortable marital existence after a little "late in the season" romance. Now it's their turn.

The first child who came to mind was his older son, Hal, age fourteen, who had met a nice young girl at school in his English class. They had developed a friendship that seemed to be evolving into a dating relationship. It was a slow process, but that was fine with him. He was proud of his son for his sound judgment and respectful attitudes towards the opposite sex.

The object of his affection was an artistic type. It was one of those things that he liked most about Sharon. She couldn't hold a scientific conversation to save her life, but she was well-versed in literature and the arts in general. She was also very observant of human nature. And she was different from other girls her age in that she didn't mindlessly chatter. Even when speaking with Trelawney, she spoke in quieter more measured tones. And she was gentle and kind to the younger girl. He realized that subconsciously he had begun to measure the characters of all family friends by how they responded to the rather whimsical child.

For the second potential young lover in the family was his sister-in-law, Trelawney, aged twelve who seemed to be caught up in a rather bittersweet case of unrequited love with the seventeen-year-old young man Topher. For a year, Topher had been her "knight in shining armor" who had stood guard over her and her loved ones throughout some trying times. It was no surprise to him that she had romanticized his thoughtful and somewhat chivalrous behavior and endowed him with the qualities of an ideal hero. Sadly, Trelawney's hero, like so many in real life, had feet of clay.

If it had been a normal school year, he wouldn't have noticed these things about either Hal or Trelawney. The kids had often teased him about being a little obtuse where these things were concerned, even when they were occurring directly under his nose, right in his own home. He supposed that there really was something to the old absent-minded professor stereotype. But now that he was on sabbatical, he had the time and opportunity to observe and contemplate this next fascinating phase of their adolescent development.

But if he was happy for Hal and his luck in love, he felt sorry for Trelawney and her misfortune. Like so many other instances of adoration of a young girl for a young man, the object of her affection was blithely unaware. Of course if he had been aware, it was difficult to say what he might have done about it. He certainly couldn't have reciprocated her feelings in any substantive way without forcing them to call in the authorities.

Hal liked to think, based on what he knew of him, that Topher would have gently and kindly let her down. Topher had always been an admirable person with great intelligence and strength of character. The only explanation that he could think of for his present behavior was that he was so blindly infatuated with the little tart (that was the nicest word that he could think of for her) who was now the lead singer of his band that he was ignorant of everyone else in his life and what _they _might be thinking.

Topher was a rare mathematical and scientific genius. He had met him the previous summer and had been deeply impressed with the depth and breadth of his understanding of higher mathematics and the latest developments in science. He was also a most unusual young man in that he was thoughtful, kind, and up to this point, had been a model of good Christian living. However, his greatest challenge in life was that his ability to fully develop his potential as a scientist was severely limited by his financial circumstances.

His own son Hal was also a scientific prodigy of sorts. He had to work for it, but he was deeply engaged in various topics of his own interest. He too showed some very promising potential. However, he also had the advantage of two unmarried, wealthy uncles who were prepared to support, or better put, underwrite his future aspirations. This opened a world of opportunity for him to pursue his interests without financial worry. The same was not true of Topher.

Topher's father was a mechanic at a local garage. He had not had the opportunity to go to college himself. And now, with six children to raise, money was tight. The family was excited at the prospect that their oldest son would be the first to attend college. But he was also going to have to pay for it on his own. They had twin daughters a year younger were also destined for college, but their prospects, not to mention their capacity to earn money, were more modest.

Proud, resourceful, and independent, Topher was determined that his family would not have to make any sacrifices to send him to university. His odds for a scholarship were excellent, but as a professor himself, Hal knew that there were many expenses not covered even by a full scholarship. Topher would need to save all the money he could, especially if he could achieve his dream of attending an East Coast school like MIT.

Despite the fact that his own school, Clinton, would kill for a student of Topher's calibre, in his heart of hearts he knew that the boy would be better served by an elite, tier one school. Of course one could get an excellent education anywhere and Topher would have more than his share of professors eager to challenge and mentor him at Clinton (or anywhere else for that matter). But there were certain things found in a private college, which were impossible to duplicate at a public university.

He would have virtually no competition among the student body at Clinton. Intellectually, he could already spar with the best graduate student minds at the school and he was presently only a high school senior. No, Topher needed the rigorous training that could only be offered where he was among his intellectual equals. He needed classmates who could challenge him and keep him on his toes. Graduate and undergraduate students in research fields pushed each other, as much as themselves, to greatness. But money also mattered.

Over the summer, Topher had worked for a local landscaper earning and saving every cent that he could. It had been backbreaking work in the heat of a California drought. He also had a band that played local high school dances and the occasional club. Recently, the band had gained great popularity and could command higher fees because of the young woman who was "fronting" them, in the lingo of the business.

Jeannie was a very good singer with a lot of sex, appeal which she was using quite successfully to draw crowds wherever they played. A senior at the high school with minimally passing grades, the starring role in every musical, and a reputation for living in the fast lane, she was the last person that he would thought that Topher would fall for. But fall he did, to the disappointment of Trelawney, his family, and every other person who had admired his sterling character and loved him for his high moral standards. As far as Hal was concerned, his association with this young woman even called into question his previous assessment of his intelligence.

It wasn't that he would begrudge him a girlfriend. There was no reason why he shouldn't date like any other normal young man of his age. It was both his choice and the rumors of their behavior that had him baffled. The band was now popular enough to have played a few gigs at the university. He was not one to pay attention to gossip, particularly if it involved students. However, his two colleagues, Fisk and Pulski, who were working with him on a project for NASA were. When Topher's name popped up, he was all ears.

"Yeah," said Pulski. "I heard that at the last mixer they got this great band from the high school. They used to be the "Jets," but now they have this hot little ticket named Jeannie as their lead singer. Their new name is "Jeannie and the Jets."

"So how hot is hot?" asked Fisk.

"Smokin'" replied Pulski with a smirk. "And she and the drummer, you know, the science prodigy Topher, are something else onstage."

"What kind of something else?" asked Fisk eagerly.

"Well apparently they're an item among the high school set," replied Pulski. "She dresses to kill, with just about everything hanging out. During their various numbers, she'll go back to him and be all over him, if you know what I mean. It's amazing that he can keep a beat with everything she's got going on."

"I imagine that that is pretty popular with the kids, even our kids," commented Fisk.

"Well, I haven't told you the best part," said Pulski, obviously having saved the most salacious for last. "In between sets the two of them go off to his van to 'relieve the tension' so to speak. Then they come back out and do it all again."

"And you say that they're in high school?" asked Fisk incredulously. "Don't they have parents?"

"I guess they're just out of control," shrugged Pulski. "With all this talk of free love and sex on demand these days, is it any surprise that our youth has been corrupted? That, or they're just more open about what used to go on only on the men's room walls. You know, 'for a good time call . . .' I guess that we all need to wake up and remember that we're in the seventies now."

"Yeah, I remember," said Fisk. "I always thought that that was more myth and legend than reality."

"Maybe for you," replied Pulski with another smirk. "But not for some of us."

"Well some of us had better get down to work," interjected Hal. "Or we'll miss our next deadline."

"You always were a square, weren't you Hal?" asked Pulski.

"And proud of it, now shut up and concentrate!"

Hal looked over at Fisk who rolled his eyes at him. He knew that Fred just liked to hear their colleague talk, but truth be told, old Pulski had been as much of a math and science grind as either of them in high school. The cool cats never ended up as mathematics professors, now or at any other time. Pulski seemed to like to relive his youth, or rather his fantasy youth, vicariously through his students.

But it still disturbed him to hear this kind of talk about Topher. The young man had done more than one favor for the family over the past year. In fact the word "favor" didn't even tell half the story. He was glad that he was no longer in contact with either Hal or Trelawney. If what he was hearing only partially true, the young man who he had first seen as an excellent role model for his eldest son was most certainly not. And he wouldn't want him within a hundred yards of innocent, little Trelawney.

He was looking forward to the time when she returned home and was living safely under his roof again. It was not that he didn't trust his parents, but he knew that they tended to indulge her more like a granddaughter than be as strict as they would be with a daughter. No one with a reputation like that, not even Topher, was going to get near her if he had anything to say about it.

They had all noticed that despite the many positive changes in her life, she was still feeling blue. Factor out everything that was going right and there were only two things left to bring her down: living apart from Phoebe and Topher's change of heart regarding her. She must have realized by now that she would be returning home soon. Her Uncle David Figalilly had no reason to deny that request, at least that he could think of. He knew that Phoebe was cautiously hopeful, but after all of the recent disappointments in her life, that was not too surprising.

He tried to sound Phoebe out as to her read on the Topher situation, but she clammed right up. Considering the amount of time that they spent discussing all of the children, including Trelawney, this was most unusual. And she had never obfuscated where the girl was concerned before or put her in a different category than his own three kids.

Whatever was up, she knew something about it and she wasn't talking. Having known her for almost three years, he knew that if she did not want to discuss something, then she didn't. No one could keep her own counsel better than his Phoebe. It was one of the reasons that he loved her so much.

So all he could do was wait to see what happened next. He purposely did not pass along Pulski's gossip. Aside from its unsavory nature, it was impossible to know how much was true and how much was exaggeration. He had always known Topher to be one of the most upstanding young citizens of the community. He was hardworking and churchgoing. Until the proof was evident to his very eyes, he would keep his mouth shut and mind his own business.

Matters of the heart, particularly where young people are concerned were often a very fluid situation. No sooner might he have thought that he had it all figured out, then things were turned upside-down again. Still and all, he was grateful that his own matter of the heart was permanently settled. Given enough time, he knew that things would work out for each of the kids too. And that was a lesson that he had learned from his very own loving wife.

_To be continued . . ._


	2. The Trouble with Topher

**The Trouble with Topher**

Topher had never met a girl like Jeannie before. Well, maybe he had. But he had never met a girl like Jeannie who would even look at him twice. He had been aware of her existence. What red-blooded guy at the high school wasn't? She was a real knock out with her long blonde hair and big brown eyes. And you couldn't miss her when she sashayed down the hall followed by her train of wannabe girlfriends.

They had never had any classes together, but she was in every show the theatre department put on at the school. She was the biggest draw that they had ever had. Last spring, the department had put on "Hello, Dolly," just so that she could be Dolly. It was crazy. They sold out every night. And while she was on stage, he was up in the booth running the lights and the sound. She didn't even know that he was alive.

The word among the guys was that she had "made a man" out of more than one guy in the senior class, not to mention a few of the recent graduates as well. She was one of those girls who just exuded sexuality. Her clothes were as tight as the school allowed and outside of school, whoa! She had legs that went on forever, tiny waist and well, an amazing set of breasts. And she was not ashamed to show them off, wearing tops that accentuated the curves. If either of the twins ever dressed like that, he would kill her.

But Jeannie wasn't his sister. She wasn't the type of girl that any guy would even want as his sister. One of his friends had once joked that if there was a senior superlative in the yearbook poll by that name, she would be voted the "Ultimate Wet Dream of the Class '73." Topher had laughed as hard as any of the guys at that one. But he had never considered her his type. He still wasn't sure of what his type was, but Jeannie was way out of his league. Until recently, he had had no desire to even play in that league.

After the "night of the unicorn" as he now thought of it, his life had gotten crazy. In fact, there were times when he thought that it was insane. He knew now that he was different from other people. Now that he had discovered his ability to read auras, he couldn't help but see them.

Trelawney's was beautiful. It was a lovely gold, soft and yellow, and filled with silver stars. Her sister's was also beautiful, a clear, deep blue. Oddly, it wasn't so easy to see most other people's auras because they were so pale. Jeannie's was a deep red. She was very passionate. Every time she moved she sent off signals in all directions that she was on the prowl for her next "one."

That's the way she had seemed that night when he had seen her at the party. She was sending out magnetic forces in all directions in order to draw in the next likely "candidate." He had been primed for her and, by of all people Trelawney's overprotective older sister. That afternoon, he had gone to see Mrs. Everett because he wanted to know more about Trelawney. He wanted to know if _she _had been betrothed at birth like she had been.

He wanted to know about the betrothal custom in their culture. Since that night, when he became aware of this world of auras and second sight, he had been drawn to Trelawney more powerfully than ever. He had always known that there was something special about her. But all of his instincts had started to indicate that she was particularly special to him. Their almost intuitive understanding of one another and apparent ability to communicate without words was unique.

There was nobody else in the world who was like her. In fact, nobody else in his life even came close. His admiration for her had grown since the first moment he had seen her at a church meeting, standing up to convince everyone that they could raise money for a family in need by having an "entertainment."

Her speech was quaint. It wasn't just the British accent. She talked as if she were from another century. She had beautiful blue eyes and curly golden blonde hair. She reminded him of a little angel. And when she played the piano it was if the music came straight from heaven. When he told her that, she had given him one of her odd looks. Her face took on what he could only describe as an ethereal glow. It simply radiated.

"Most people do not realize that I play from the music of the spheres," she had said sweetly, looking off into the distance behind him. "It is most unusual that you should notice it."

"But that was just Mozart," he had replied. "You must have learned to play it somewhere."

"You must never mention this to anyone," she had whispered in a conspiratorial way as she looked around and bent her head close to his. "But I have never had a teacher. I do not need really sheet music to play. It is all for show. I play the music that is a part of the fabric of the universe. My family is afraid that if others find out that they will try to understand me as some kind of an oddity or savant. They might even think that I am . . . crazy."

Looking into her open and honest face and wide, innocent, not to mention trusting, blue eyes, he had promised to keep her secret. She had an implicit trust in him that he had never entirely understood. It was as if she knew him, but he couldn't see how. She had never been outside of her little village in England until a few months before they had met in California, and he has certainly never been there. It was one of the many things that intrigued him about her.

Over the past year, the better he got to know her, the more he was drawn to her. He wanted to protect her. When he had learned that a man had violated her early in her life, he had wanted to kill him. But now, that man was dead and she was safe. And the first time he had seen her surrounded by her halo of gold, that was it. He felt that she was important to him. He just knew that they belonged together. They were supposed to be together, forever.

But when he had talked to Mrs. Everett, her whole demeanor changed the minute that he began to ask about betrothals. Her beautiful clear blue aura turned icy cold. She told him to forget about it, and Trelawney. She told him that "those such as her" never married, unless it was to one of _them_. Trelawney was going to live with her sister forever. She couldn't manage out in the "larger world."

She shut him down before he could even explain. Then she made him feel like some kind of pervert. She wanted to know how he would feel if some guy his age was after Sarah. But it wasn't like that at all. He wasn't "after" Trelawney. In fact, he didn't even want to touch her. He wanted them to promise themselves to each other and _then _get married when she was old enough and he could support them. After all, Mrs. Everett had been betrothed to the unicorn on the day she was born.

But maybe that was why she was so protective of her little sister. That guy really had been a pervert. She hadn't known until it was almost too late or she might even have married him herself. The way her cousin Liam had told it, it was _Trelawney _who had saved _her. _The whole idea that Trelawney had to be "wrapped up in cotton wool," as the books said, for the rest of her life was ridiculous.

After all, he was her knight in shining armor. Trelawney had told that to anyone who would listen many times. And he would have died for her that night. _And_ her cousin Liam knew it. He missed Liam. He thought that Liam would have understood. But Liam had returned to the village in England to marry his own girl. He wasn't there to help him.

And so he knew that it was wrong for her to tell him that what he wanted was impossible. He knew deep inside that he could protect Trelawney at least as well as she could, and she would be safe with him. But he had to have the chance to prove it. Mrs. Everett just didn't understand.

It wasn't some sappy kind of Romeo and Juliet thing that he wanted to start. That was just not his bag. He believed that Trelawney would be happy if she knew that he was her guy and that when she was old enough, they would be together. However, he did have to agree with Mrs. Everett on one thing. If she knew that they (the older folks) were trying to keep them apart, then being the romantic little thing that she was, she could do something stupid. That scared him. Especially since her sister's rationale for keeping them apart was crazy.

Just because he didn't come from "the village," she acted like he wasn't worthy of even looking at her sister. That was the thanks he got for looking after her for a whole year. Normally he was respectful of his elders. And he liked Mrs. Everett very much. But when she sent him away he was mad. After all, the Professor wasn't from the village. How come it was okay for one sister to marry an "outsider," but not the other?

Then, that same night, he went to "The Party," as he now thought of it, at his friend Jack's house and there she was, the _other_ girl. There could not be another girl in the world that was more different than Trelawney. And she was not only looking at him, she came right over and introduced herself. (Like he didn't know who she was.) He stayed cool and answered her greeting in a bored tone of voice. Then she looked at him like an innocent kitten.

"I hope you don't think that I'm being forward," she said in a soft voice that hovered somewhere between demure and sensual. "Would you like to dance with me?"

Unable to speak, he smiled back in a way that he hoped wasn't goofy and took her hand. What the hell? She certainly stirred him in a way that was both new and unfamiliar. They stepped out into the yard where the hi-fi was playing and a few other couples were already moving together. They weren't really dancing. It was more like they were swaying. Jeannie seemed to melt into him and they began to move as one.

He had never felt hair or skin so silky soft. She was about medium height, so she was easily able to drape her arms around his neck. She rested her cheek on his shoulder. He had never been so close to a girl before and felt a shiver go through his body. She sensed it and seemed to purr as she nuzzled his neck. This was a girl who was clearly enjoying her power over him.

On any other night, he would have put more space between them and then begged off as soon as he could. But tonight, his pride had been wounded by Mrs. Everett's rejection of him as a suitor for her sister. He was flattered by Jeannie's attention and he didn't have to look around to know that at that moment, every guy there wanted to be him.

Giving in to his animal instincts, he rested his cheek on her hair and rubbed his hands up and down her back. She looked up at him and gave him a sultry smile. Feeling a little daring, he rested his hands on her firm little backside and gave a quick squeeze. Her eyes widened in surprise at the move, but then she parted her lips. The invitation was clear and he opened his own mouth to kiss her.

She was certainly not the first girl that he had kissed, but he had never kissed a girl with such intensity. He must have pleased her, because she opened her mouth wider and then pulled him in deeper. She clearly wanted something. Obliging, he probed with his tongue and pulled her closer. However she broke away suddenly.

He looked down at her in confusion, wondering what he had done wrong, but she simply returned his gaze with a provocative stare. Then, taking his hand, she led him through the crowd and back into the house. Jack's parents were away that night and the teens had free run of the house. Topher had noticed earlier that there were empty bottles of vodka close to the punch bowl and a half empty case of beer. He had had more than one beer in his day, but had never tried hard liquor.

With a mischievous look, Jeannie poured them a couple of large paper cups of punch before they went upstairs. When they got there, they discovered that a couple of the rooms had already been claimed by other couples. Swearing quietly under her breath, she finally found one with a single twin bed in it. Now giving him a distinctly naughty look, she invited him in and then locked the door behind them.

The micro mini skirt that she was wearing barely covered her round little rear end and when she lay back on the bed, he realized that she wasn't wearing anything underneath. On any other night, that would have been it. He would have opened the door and walked out. He would have grabbed a beer on the way out of the house, got in his van, and driven back home to drink his beer in the privacy of his room and be thankful for his escape, but not tonight.

Instead, he lounged against the dresser in the room and casually took a hefty slug from his cup. It burned a little and made his head feel lighter. Jeannie arched her back like a cat, now revealing even more of her shapely figure. She made her intentions perfectly clear. She wanted him to "do her."

"Why don't you join me down here?" she purred as she took a sip from her own cup.

"I prefer the view from up here," he answered smoothly. He knew that she was used to controlling these situations but he had had enough female control for one day. He could tell that she wanted him. He decided to make her work for it.

She looked surprised by his response and took another sip. She settled herself back more comfortably and continued to sip her drink as he took in her fantastic body and contemplated what she was offering. He still wasn't entirely sure that he was going to take it. In an odd way, the vodka gave him the courage to resist her advances. He stood in his spot, casually drinking from his very full punch cup while she began to shift before him. His disinterest seemed to unnerve her.

Then she finished her drink in a huge gulp, stood up, and walked over to him. He looked at her standing before him and he wondered what her next move would be. She was very still, so he took his index finger and drew a line from the curve of her jaw down between the ample cleavage, and then stopped and pulled it away.

The minute that he had touched her, she had closed her eyes. Now she stood waiting and trembling. He was in control, and he liked it. He liked having this amazing specimen of female sexuality standing before him, begging him to take her. Now he finished off the last of his cup and put a finger on her lips. Reaching slowly, she took his large hand in her two smaller ones and pressed it against her mouth. He closed his eyes as she opened her mouth and her tongue tasted his palm.

Touché! He thought. He was glad that she wasn't close enough to realize that she had just aroused him. Once she knew that, the game was over. He was enjoying his power over her very experienced body. If he couldn't betroth himself to the pure and innocent Trelawney, maybe he would have a little fun with the "student body" of the senior class. As much as he loved the sweet, little girl, he felt absolutely nothing but revulsion for the little slut before him.

Taking his hand away from her mouth, he roughly grabbed the back of her head and forced his tongue inside her mouth again. As he pulled her up to him, she responded with the animal-like hunger that her previous foreplay had hinted at. She began to rapidly unbutton his shirt so that she could first massage and then draw her nails along his bare chest and back. He liked that. And then she pulled his shirt off so that he was bare-chested.

He moved his own his hands down along her gorgeous body and closed his eyes. He could sense her breathing quicken as she anticipated his surrender to her feminine wiles. Then as she once again pressed herself into him, he opened his eyes and looked into hers. The look was triumphant. She believed that she had won.

Her aura was now glowing a deep red. She was nearly on fire. The heat that radiated from her suddenly felt scorching. He closed his eyes and thought entered his mind of his beautiful golden child. He had no idea of where it had come from, but it was like a life preserver for a drowning man. Her pure innocence was a welcome relief. The deep blue of her eyes cooled his burning passion.

He felt a peace and a calm fall over him as his better angels descended and helped him to control his animal instincts. And he knew. This girl was not for him, and she never could be. The girl who was destined for him was presently unattainable, but it didn't matter. She was the only one to whom he would, or could, give himself. He physically relaxed. This was one conquest that Jeannie wouldn't make.

"Please," she whispered, breaking into his thoughts and he opened eyes again.

He watched in fascination as she artfully removed what few clothes she was wearing. Every move was calculated to project enticement, eroticism. There was nothing new or special about it for her. She had probably done it a million times before. And he was nothing more than another guy to add to her of "been there, done thats." He felt his features unconsciously assume an expression of impassiveness, but she was so caught up in her own performance that she missed it. Moving like a cat once again, she positioned herself on the bed. She believed that she had seduced him.

And the sight of her lying naked and vulnerable before him gave him a rush like he had never felt before. But it wasn't the rush that she was trying to give him. How many guys had begged her for this and now _she _was begging him? He knew that no guy had ever held back on her like this before. Guys were too eager to get it all from her. Even now, he had the self-control to resist her. He knew that if he wanted, he could walk out the door, and leave her hanging.

Then another awareness came over him that made his stomach nearly heave as the alcohol ate away at his gut. This whole scene was disgusting. And he wasn't sure who disgusted him more, him or her. He knew why she had been leading him upstairs the minute she had grasped his hand and her warmth flowed through him. And she had only had one thing in mind from the moment she had plastered herself to him out on the lawn. This whole scene was about carnal satisfaction, pure and simple.

But, he could never be satisfied by a girl like her. In fact, he would hate himself for indulging in this little escapade if it reached its logical conclusion. He would never be able to face Trelawney again. Just because he was angry at her sister, didn't mean that he was going to compromise his values, not to mention his worthiness of his true love. He had more self-respect than that.

Jeannie must have realized that he was slipping away from her and once again her eyes grew large.

"Don't," she said, her eyes filling with tears. He sensed they were for show.

"Don't what?" he asked testily.

"Don't leave me like this," she whispered. "No guy has ever left me without doing it with me."

"Really?" he raised his eyebrows. He knew that she had toyed with guys before. He knew that she had led them on and then rejected them if they didn't quite please her. This one is for them, he thought. She looked back at him uncertainly.

"No guy that I ever wanted has ever left me," she amended reluctantly.

"I know," he said smugly.

She was utterly bewildered. There she was, the most gorgeous piece of ass that he had ever seen and he was rejecting _her. _It was a sweet moment of victory for men everywhere. Then she reached out her hand.

"Please," she said with a note of pleading in her voice. "Sit down. See, I'll make room. At least talk to me before you walk out."

He was surprised that she was so perceptive, but then realized that he shouldn't confuse perception with animal instinct and did as she said. Shirtless, he sat on the bed, putting about eighteen inches between them. She had calmed down and now rested more comfortably. She still thought that she could change his mind.

She was wrong.

"You know I can make you feel real good," she murmured seductively.

"Really?" he asked as he lifted an eyebrow.

"I can make you feel better than you ever have in your whole life," she said even more persuasively. "And I know that you've never done it before. Every girl in the school knows that you're one of the last holdouts."

"And you want to change that?" he asked.

"Of course," she purred. "You're also one of the best looking guys at school. Why should I let you waste all that promising manhood? You know it is possible to go overboard with all that Christian morality jazz. Celibacy went out with the sixties. What are you going to be when you grow up? A priest or something?"

"I never considered it. Is it really so passé?" he asked with interest. Despite her attempts to convince him, the more she said the less he felt any sort of desire for her.

"Oh, come on," she encouraged him. "One time won't hurt. And you might realize what you've been missing. You might even come back for more."

He looked at her incredulously.

"If I'm still interested," she finished smugly.

Topher had heard enough. There was no two ways about it. In addition to being a seductress, she was a temptress. She was tempting him to betray everything that he had been brought up to believe. Bur now the game was over. He had won. He stood up, put on his shirt and prepared to leave.

"Are you some kind of a fag?" she asked bluntly, in disbelief even.

"No," he said. "I'm just was warm-blooded as any male out there. And I certainly like girls. But I also have no intention of joining the priesthood. Face it. You have nothing to offer me that I want."

"I suppose that you're going to say that I should have more respect for myself?" she said sarcastically.

"Actually," he replied honestly. "I had absolutely no intention of saying that. I think that you're a lost cause. But I do have more respect for myself. Now, I'm going to let myself out and we'll both forget that this little incident happened."

"Do you really think that you can forget this?" she asked, preening herself.

"No problem," he replied carelessly. "Have a good night, Jeannie. I'm sure that if you go back downstairs you'll have your pick of the guys still here. There's gotta be at least a dozen just aching to get a little piece of what I'm turning down."

Then, without a second look, he walked out the door, went downstairs, grabbed a beer, and went out to his van. One of his friends grabbed his arm as he left through the front door.

"Did you get any?" he asked a little too eagerly.

"No, I decided I didn't want any," he said with a shrug. "She's not my type."

He left a half a dozen guys standing in the doorway with their mouths hanging open. Good, he thought, maybe I've broken the mystique of the "student body." He couldn't wait to get home to take a shower. The whole encounter had made him feel dirty.

The next day he ran into her on his way into the high school for band rehearsal. It was obvious that she knew that he would be there and was waiting. She planted herself in his path. His head was still pounding from the vodka the night before and he just wanted to get passed her.

"What is it now?" he asked with a sigh of annoyance.

"Thanks for ruining my reputation," she said sarcastically.

"I guess that all depends on your definition of ruining," he said and tried to walk by her again.

"Look!" she said putting her hand out to stop him. "I have something that I want from you and it isn't sex. There's something else that I want from you too. And now I'm going to have work for it. It's obvious that you're not going to take the usual payment."

"And what's that?" he asked cynically. He knew that there had to be a catch. Girls like Jeannie never gave it away for free.

"Good, we understand each other," she replied acknowledging his tone. "I want to front your band, the Jets. You guys play real good and I sing real good. We can help each other out. I know that you're working your ass off to pay for college next year. Do as I say and you'll make a pile of cash. But you'll also have to call a truce with me and pretend that you're my man. We'll need to put up a front of sleeping together. That's part of the deal.'

"And why is that?" he asked, not quite believing what he was hearing. Was this chick _crazy?_

"The audience loves sexual tension in an act," she replied. "You beat away on your drums and I'll sing away on the mike. We'll flirt all night and then pretend to relieve the tension afterwards and in between sets back in your van. It will all be a part of the act. The crowd will eat it up."

"Then why don't we just do it, or rather pretend to do it, on stage?" he asked with an edge of sarcasm in his voice.

"No," she said shaking her head. "The crowd doesn't want to see it. They want to sense it. They want to know it's happening. It will make them look around for the most likely partner so that they can go off and get some for themselves. And then they'll come back for more. We'll be the hottest act in town."

She was a piece of work. She had actually taken his question seriously.

"You really are a wet dream," he said to her in disgust.

"You bet," she said, once again in all seriousness. "That's the way we play it and they'll be lining up to see us."

"As if that's the only thing that matters," he retorted.

"Hell, yeah," she said. "Look, you want money and I want visibility. We can both take care of each other. So, do we have a deal?"

Topher considered her offer. He had no doubt that as long as she was singing with the band, she would be trying to get into his pants. That would be annoying. But the money could be worth it. And it would provide him with a good cover for not dating.

Her remark about him being a fag had stung more than he liked to admit. He had never thought too much about the sexual revolution but it now occurred to him that guys like himself could end up becoming a rare breed. Tough, he thought, I'm not lowering my standards for any new fad. And when I finally do marry Trelawney, I'm going to be worthy of her.

"You got it," he said finally. "But I want to make it clear that I have my own reasons for participating in this little charade. And they're none of your business."

"Suit yourself," she said with a shrug. "You realize that I'm going to be making sacrifices too. If this whole thing is going to work, I'm going to have live like a nun to pull off this scam. Oh, and another thing. Our band's new name is 'Jeannie and the Jets.' Unless you want to change the terms of the deal."

"No way," he replied bitterly. "If I have to choose between your name and doing you every night, I'll live with your name in the billing."

"That figures," she said rolling her eyes. "You keep your virginity, I lose my sexual freedom."

"It'll do you good," he said shortly. "Now get out of my way so that I can get to practice."

"I'm coming too, don't forget," she replied. "It's time for you to introduce your new girlfriend to her new band."

By the time they walked into the practice room, she was hanging all over him. In fact her hands were everywhere. If she couldn't have it all, she would take what she could get. And the guys loved the idea. They couldn't believe their luck.

"I knew you couldn't hold out, man," said one of his pals. "She's gonna be the best thing that ever happened to you."

Remembering that night and afternoon made him feel dirty all over again. Everyone in school treated it like the romance of the century. Suddenly it became this whole opposites attract thing. And now they were all saying that they had seen it coming all along. This was one hook up that was destined to happen sooner or later. Fat chance, he thought. He didn't love her. In fact, he hated her. The other guys in the band worshipped the ground she walked on. He didn't. But that didn't bother her.

"This is a business arrangement pure and simple," she said. "I've had my eye on your band for a while. Then I knew I needed to pick the right guy to screw, to get the crowd horny. I didn't need some sap that was going to fall in love with me and then get jealous when I played up to other guys. This would be better if you would actually do me occasionally. But I'll take what I can get. And I get the feeling that you couldn't care less if I took on the whole football team."

"No," he said honestly. "I couldn't. But it's kind of a rush, in a weird sort of way, being up there are stage with you coming back during the sets and making every guy in the house want to be in my place. I'm sure that that makes it real for the fans. But I still wouldn't really touch you with a ten-foot pole."

"Yeah, I know. I'm not your type," she said with disgust. "Whoever she is, she better be worth saving it for."

"What do you mean?" he asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"Whoever the blessed Virgin Mary is," she replied, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "She better appreciate your sacrifice. No guy saves himself like you do unless he's saving himself for something, or better put, for someone. I'm guessing she's keeping her cherry for you too. Did you two make a pact to wait for the wedding night or something? Think a little chastity will spice things up someday?"

"You obviously wouldn't know anything about it. But stay out of my personal life," he said quietly and threateningly. "Or I'll kill you."

She looked surprised at his gravity, but never said another word about it again. She knew that he meant it. Then he asked her.

"So when will you drop me?" he asked. "When you're tired of playing the Virgin Mary?"

She rolled her eyes.

"I'll drop you when I make it big," she replied practically. "Or when I find something better. The only way I'm going to make it in the business is by sleeping my way to it. These jokers at school who think that I have the whole package are dead wrong. There are a million other girls out there who've got exactly what I've got."

"At least you're realistic," he said. "What's your plan B?"

"I don't have one," she said with a shrug. "Live fast, die young, leave a beautiful corpse as they say. If I shoot the wad and lose, then c'est la vie. It'll be a good run anyway."

"If you say so," he replied with his own shrug. "You realize that once I get to college, I'll have no more use for you."

"With any luck, by then I'll have no use for you either," she said. "But it will be fun while it lasts, celibacy and all. I love the spotlight, not to mention seeing my name in lights so to speak."

"Will you miss anything about me?" he asked out of curiosity.

"No," she said, then. "I take that back. It's kind of cool making all the other girls think that I've got what they want. They all can't believe that the handsome and chivalrous Topher has given it up to the slut of the year. There's no way I'm ever gonna let them find out the truth."

It was obvious that if she couldn't really have him, she liked to play up that she did. She liked to show her possession of him by hanging onto him in public. In a perverse sort of way, he enjoyed showing his own possession of her. He let her mess with him a little and then would neck with her for effect. And the ruse worked. It was a part of the chemistry they had that made the other kids want to come and hear the band.

When they were on stage together, she sang her heart out on the mike while he pounded away on the drums. Then the lead guitar or bass would play a solo and she'd be all over him. She would stand behind him and press her body into his back and shoulders. It was a move that they actually had to practice so that he wouldn't lose the beat. The other guys in the band thought that he must have the greatest self-control in the world. But it was easy when you hated the chick that was trying to do you.

Word also got out that they were very exclusive, neither one of them even looked at another one seriously. They flirted of course with the fans, but they never let any of them touch them. It became a game. He knew that she led some of the guys on pretty far before dropping them. He refused to touch the girls. He treated them with more disdain. He certainly didn't want to break any hearts. The other guys in the band were taking full advantage of the girls who wanted to hang out with them. Topher wasn't interested.

Jeannie satisfied his need for a trophy woman to testify to his manhood and he really wasn't looking to fall in love. Not that he could have if he had tried. The truth was that he had been very hurt when he had found out that Trelawney was off limits. If Mrs. Everett had even given him some hope, he would never have gone near Jeannie. He would have let the world know that he was saving himself until the sweet child was old enough to be his wife.

He had calculated the age difference. By the time she finished college, he would be done with graduate school and with any luck would have secured a job that would have paid well enough for them to get married. She was so delicate that he couldn't imagine her having children, but that was okay. She would be his perfect little angel. He would protect her and keep her safe. And she would love him. They would be very happy together, helping other people in need and bringing Jesus' message of hope and love to others.

He had never met another person, other than Pastor Jason, who understood His message so well and wanted to live it. It was hard in some ways for him because of his talent and interest in science. He had once discussed it with Trelawney. As usual, he could do no wrong in her innocent eyes.

"But Topher," she had objected when he told her that he could never live for others the way that Jesus had. "Do you think that it's an _accident _that God gave you all that talent? Of course not! He wants you to use your scientific mind to do something special for humanity. You were put here for a purpose. We all were."

"That makes sense," he had replied slowly. "But how will I know when I figure out what I should do?"

"You will know," she had said simply. "You won't even have to figure it out. God doesn't make us figure out those sorts of things. He lets us know. Of course we have to be listening as well."

"Do you know what it is that you are meant to do with your life?" he had asked.

She had looked at him very shyly. She was so modest that he realized that it must be something very important. She probably didn't want to brag about it. With all of her talent in music and goodness and sweetness, God had probably given her a very special purpose.

But now all he could do was sigh with regret. They had had that conversation during the science fair last spring after they had heard that Hal had just won the scholarship. It had been before the time when he was able to see auras. He imagined that hers had been glowing with a lovely golden hue. At that time, he had known that she was special, but he had not realized how special she was to him. He wondered if she felt it too.

He knew that if she fell in love with him, it would be forever. And he would love her with the same absolute fidelity. But that was probably gone forever. He could never even hope that he would be worthy of her now. He figured that her whole family probably thought that he was a "fallen man." He tried to convince himself that word had not reached her of his "girlfriend." But, in fact, he dared not go near her. He knew instinctively that she could read auras too.

He knew that she would see his betrayal and it would break her heart. Although she had never even dropped a hint, he suspected that she loved him too. Last year, Rachel and Rebecca had teased him a couple of times about being her knight in shining armor. They told him that she had a crush on him and he better watch out. If he wasn't careful he could end up either breaking her heart or landing in jail.

He believed that she was so innocent that she would not be able to see beneath his cynical facade. She would think that he and Jeannie actually were lovers. She would believe that he was no better than any of the other guys out there. He would no longer be her knight in shining armor. The only comfort than he had was that her family would not permit any other man to have her either. It was, in its own way, perverse. He had essentially rejected her, but he didn't want anyone else to have her either.

The only real guilt that he felt over the whole scene was with regard to his parents. Mom and Dad had raised him to be a good and honorable man. On more than one occasion, his father had reminded him that the ultimate love that any man could demonstrate for a woman was to treat her honorably and respectfully. That included her body. He had promised him that he would wait for marriage.

He knew that they now thought that he had broken that promise. He was out so late and Jeannie was so physically possessive of him that they could only reach one conclusion. They only knew the half of it, and suspected what they believed was the rest. But he had to maintain the image, and he was doing a damn good job. Jeannie swore that if they didn't keep it up, then everyone would just view them as another band and the gigs would dry up.

He knew that his mother was in denial. She preferred to believe that Jeannie was using him to make it on her own. His Dad knew better, but didn't say a word. He just gave him a very disappointed look every time he passed by. Rebecca knew better too. And she was not shy about confronting him.

"Going out to play with your little friend?" she asked as he left the house one day.

"What's it to you?" he asked defensively.

"Not a thing," she replied. "You've lost all my respect. But I can't stand by and watch you break Mom and Dad's hearts. What the hell has gotten into you?"

"None of your business," he replied. "Jeannie and I have a business arrangement that is proving to be very lucrative for me. She may or may not make it, but I'm making a pile of dough a helluva lot more easily than when I was breaking my back mowing lawns."

"I figured it was something like that," she said shaking her head. "It almost makes it worse."

"Than what?'

"If she was using her sexual power to control and seduce you, I could feel sorry for you," she answered. "But this is worse. I suppose that you won't care if she gets sick of you."

"And she won't care if I get sick of her," he said. "It's not like we're in love or anything."

"You're pathetic," she said. "I take that back. I do feel sorry for you. You've sold your soul, not to mention your body, for a pile of gold. And you're no better than she is."

If Rebecca thought that that would sting, she was wrong. He had never thought that he was any better than Jeannie was on the morality scale. They were both down in the same moral cesspool together. And he didn't need Rebecca's pity. She had no idea of what was really going on inside of his head. No one did. And he planned to keep it that way.

Of course part of his problem was that even though he felt sometimes like he had messed up his chances with Trelawney, his heart refused to give up hope. He knew, he didn't know how, he just _knew, _that no matter what anyone might tell her, she would still love him. There were times when his own heart was aching that he would swear that he could feel her heart ache as well. It didn't make sense, but more than half the stuff he knew about Trelawney didn't make sense. So he went with it.

Using his own particular brand of logic, he had decided that as long as Mrs. Everett thought that he was keeping company with Jeannie, she would assume that he had given up on Trelawney. Nothing could be further from the truth. As the weeks had passed, he had not lost any of his desire to promise himself to the girl. He knew that her family were all due to show up in town in a week for the christening of the baby. In fact, his whole family had been invited to attend.

He had made sure to book a gig for the band out of town that day. He knew that Mrs. Everett didn't want him there anyway. He had only been invited so that he wouldn't be excluded from the family invitation. However, he was once again lucky that little Prudence was still blabbing the family business, this time to Hannah and Miriam. And the two of them were competing to see who could blab it first and loudest her news to the family.

He knew that Liam was coming in with his fiancée. He decided that he would make a point of finding him and having a conversation with him about Trelawney for himself. He knew enough about the culture to know that it was the men who were in control anyway. It would not be Mrs. Everett's choice as to who would marry Trelawney or even if she would marry. It was Liam's Dad who was in charge. And Liam was due to follow in his footsteps. He figured that it had been a mistake to go to Mrs. Everett in the first place.

For now he was going to bide his time and wait until the moment was right. He knew that Liam could read auras and would knew that if he assured him that he had never done it with Jeannie that he would know that he was telling the truth. In that culture, male virginity was prized as much as female. It wouldn't indicate that there was anything "wrong" with him. And Liam was enough of a man of the world to know that he was using her for his own purposes. But the using was mutual. If anything, she was taking advantage of him.

He had allowed her to ruin his reputation to further her own career. And she never stopped trying to figure out how to get him into bed. She just could not accept the fact that he found her physically repulsive. It was bad enough when she put her hands all over him and kissed him, especially out in public. But when they were alone (which he tried never to allow to happen) she was literally climbing all over him.

One night, he had had enough. He was driving her home after a gig and she grabbed his crotch while he was driving. She had had too much to drink and was just dying to get laid. They nearly went off the road. He stopped the van, walked around to her door, opened it, and quietly said, "Out!"

"Ah, come on," she said. "I was only playing around."

"Well this is the last time you play with me like this," he said tensely. "If I die, I don't want it to be with you in the van and everybody thinking the worst of me. Now get the hell out. You can walk home for all I care."

"I'll never sing with your band again!" she fumed.

"Fine by me, I've had it with you."

She looked at him uncertainly. He knew that she was trying to assess whether he was kidding or not. She must have realized that he was serious.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I stepped over the boundaries of our business arrangement."

"Will you keep your hands to yourself from now on?" he asked testily.

"Yes," she said meekly. "From now on, I will use only the approved moves, and only for effect."

"Good!" he replied as he slammed the door and walked back to the driver's side. He drove her to her house in silence. Before she left, he had one more thing to say.

"The only reason why I drive you home late at night is to maintain this charade of the loving couple," he stated firmly. "I have never and will never want you as my girlfriend, much less my lover. The next time it really is over."

She stared back at him, but seemed to have lost some of her bravado. The only way that she knew how to hang onto a guy was by giving him her body. Topher then realized that she needed him way more than he needed her. Since he was rejecting her, she didn't know how to hold onto him. And if she couldn't hold onto him, then a good deal of her mystique would be lost.

Mutely she nodded and got out. He watched as she slowly walked up the steps to her house and let herself in. Then he drove to his own house. It was very late, so he entered as quietly as possible. He didn't want to wake anyone up. As walked past the bedrooms on his way to his own, he thought about how lucky he was to have such a family.

Someday this would be over and he would be able to explain to them how it had all been a big show. He had stayed true to their values. He really hadn't done anything to shame them. Once this mess was over, he would stay away from girls and focus on his work. He was looking forward to college when he would be too busy to get mixed up with girls like Jeannie.

There was only one girl that he was interested in, and he would wait for her. She wouldn't be a child forever, chronologically anyway. He would be gentle and careful with her. As he lay down, his last conscious thought was of her beautiful blue eyes and sweet smile. She was his guiding light that would lead him back to his better self, and home.

_To be continued . . ._


	3. Hal's Heart

**Hal's Heart**

While Topher was busy with Jeannie, Hal's relationship with Sharon was growing stronger day by day. Sharon might not be an academic genius, but she was a very bright girl in other ways. Because he sat in the back of the room and she sat in the front, he was able to watch her during English class. He knew that instead of taking notes, she was mostly drawing pictures, but her drawings were wonderful. Whatever was being discussed in class went into her sketchbook. She always showed it to him afterwards.

When the first report cards came out in November, Hal was very pleased with his straight A's, the fact that he had made first honor roll, and the surprise that he was ranked number one in his class. Sharon wasn't so lucky. Her best grade was an A in Art followed by a B in English. She had C's in History, Science, and Spanish, but she failed Math. Her parents immediately cracked down. She was forbidden from seeing Hal until her Math grade went up.

Now Hal and Sharon were dating, but they weren't even going steady. Between all of the studying Hal did, science club, and stage crew, they didn't really get much time together. And a lot of the time that they hung out, it was at his house surrounded by the other kids, not to mention his parents. Hal had discussed it with Mom and she had convinced him that he was too young to get serious about any girl. So he and Sharon were mostly just good friends. Her parents didn't see it that way. They liked Hal, but were afraid that he was an unnecessary distraction.

Sharon was crying when she told him.

"I tried to tell them that you're my best friend," she said sadly. "But they didn't believe me. They know that we don't spend lots of time together, but they think that I spend too much time thinking about you."

"Do you?" asked Hal curiously.

"I think about you a lot," she replied. "But the reason I get bad grades is because I just can't do math. I try, but it doesn't make any sense to me."

"Maybe I can help you," he suggested. "I've tutored Trelawney a lot over the last couple of years in science and math. She's really smart, but she never had any science before. And she's not really interested, so she doesn't even try to understand it by herself. I'm lucky that she really likes her math and science teacher at her new school, now Sr. Somebody helps her after school."

"Sr. Somebody?" asked Sharon finally breaking a smile.

"Oh, I'm sure she has a real name," he said with a shrug. "But Trelawney talks so much about so many of the sisters that I can't keep them all straight. It's a good thing that she gets along with them."

"Of course she gets along with them," said Sharon smiling a bit more. "She has to be the sweetest girl that I've ever met."

"She likes you a lot too," he replied. "You kind of remind me of her. I mean, she's a musician and you're an artist, but you're both very creative people. And you're both very kind to others. And you both love Maisie."

"That's quite a compliment," she said. "Trelawney is a very special person. I can't believe that she had so much trouble in middle school with the kids and the teachers."

"It used to make me real mad," he admitted. "If Grammy and Grampie hadn't pulled her out to teach her at home last year, I probably would have knocked someone's block off sooner or later."

"That's hard to imagine," she said. "I have never thought of you as a violent person."

"It's not about violence," he explained. "It's about Trelawney. She doesn't really understand things in the outside world too well. We all want to protect her. None of us like seeing her hurt."

"I know," she said. "But I don't think that my mother will agree to let you tutor me."

"Tell her that we'll work on the kitchen table so that she can keep an eye on us," he said. "You know she likes me."

"Of course she does," said Sharon. "But she's disappointed because she thought that you would be a good influence on me."

"Does she think that I'm a bad influence?" he asked, feeling a little hurt.

"Oh no, of course not," she said quickly. "But I think that she thought that some of your smartness would rub off on me. She says that I daydream too much."

"Maybe," he admitted. "But that's because you're an artist. Trelawney has a pretty wild imagination and she does just fine in school. Anyway, your Mom should let me try."

"I'll ask her," replied Sharon doubtfully.

As it turned out, her mother was perfectly willing to let him try, as long as they worked in the kitchen where she could watch them, which she did. Hal didn't care. It wasn't like they were doing anything secret. And because Sharon was an only child, the house was always quiet. Fortunately, Sharon understood more than she realized. She just didn't have any confidence in herself. When she got a B on her first quiz, her parents were delighted. So was she.

"Now I don't have to worry about Mom not letting me see you," she said happily. "She says that you _are _a good influence on me. I've never been good at math before."

"It was nothing," he said modestly. "You're so busy being afraid that you don't know anything that you forget everything that you do know. But I'll keep helping you as long as you need me."

He was rewarded with a brilliant smile. He was glad that the math situation was handled because now she could come to Maisie's christening. They were each allowed to invite a friend or two. Butch was inviting his buddy Tim and Prudence was inviting Hannah and Miriam Tucker. Trelawney of course was inviting Francine and Sarah.

Mom also invited Mrs. Lenihan and Mr. and Mrs. Tucker because of the kids. Then Prudence prevailed upon her to invite the other Tucker children, mostly because she wanted Rachel to come. Topher had begged off because he had an out of town gig. And the families were all very good friends. Mrs. Fowler was conspicuously left out.

In addition to Grammy and Grampie, of course Nana and Papa would be there since Papa was Maisie's godfather. And Uncle Ben and Uncle Bob were coming. A bunch of folks from Mom's family were coming as well. Uncle David was coming back and bringing Auntie Anna.

Five of their kids, Emmeline, Sylvia, Liam, Lewis, and Jimmie were all coming. The sixth one, Christabel, had just had another baby girl. And Liam was bringing his fiancee Mary. The balloon ladies, Aunts Agatha and Justine would be there. Uncle Charlie and Cousin John were coming from the other side of Mom's family. Even Uncle Alfred was coming.

And Mom's four friends from the nursing home were coming. There was Mrs. Kaufman, who had lived in Grammy and Grampie's house in their neighborhood for years before she sold it to them. There were too old ladies, Mrs. Darmstadt and Aunt Lottie who were constantly trying to outdo one another with their stories of life in Brooklyn back around the turn of the century. But the coolest one was "Mr. Just Jim."

That was the name that Trelawney gave him when she first met him and it had stuck. When he introduced himself he said that he wasn't "Mr. Anybody" his name was "Just Jim." Since she couldn't bring herself to call him by his first name. That was what she called him. He told all kinds of crazy stories about World War I and his wife who was Cornish like the Figalillys. Hal figured that he was looking forward to meeting the whole clan.

Pastor Paul was going to baptize Maisie, but Pastor Jason had also promised to come. It was going to be a big party, but not too big. Mom didn't want a big fuss over a religious ceremony so the party would be up the street at Grammy's house. Hal knew that she was disappointed because she had wanted something a lot bigger, but Mom put her foot down.

Hal knew that Grammy had still not gotten over the fact that Mom and Dad had eloped. She had really wanted a big wedding, but Mom had put her foot down about that too. She was not going to let Grammy use the christening party to make up for the fact that they didn't have a big wedding reception. Hal had to agree with Mom. Maisie wouldn't know the difference if it were a big party or not. And Dad didn't care as long as Mom was happy.

Trelawney had also done very well on her report card, as did Butch and Prudence. When Dad tried to slap Butch on the back when he got straight A's for the first time in his life, Butch told him to get lost. Hal had given up trying to talk to Butch about it. And he was sorry that Butch had invited Tim to the christening. Tim was also mad at his father because he was ignoring him to spend time with his new girlfriend. Hal knew that Butch and Tim spent most of their time together talking about what rotten Dads they had.

Hal knew that it actually was true that Tim's Dad was pretty rotten. He had divorced his Mom so that he could date other women. Now he was living with some younger woman. She was a real babe, but Tim wasn't allowed to spend the night because his mother didn't think approve of his father and his girlfriend sleeping in the same bedroom while he was there. Tim didn't like the idea either. He thought that it was gross.

At least Prudence was happy again. She loved her dance classes and couldn't wait for her dance school's production of _The Nutcracker Suite. _Trelawney had the main child role of Clara, but you would have thought that Prudence was the star by the way that she was acting.

Trelawney didn't care. She just wanted it to be over. It was kind of funny how Prudence always wanted to be the center of attention, but in this case she wasn't. Trelawney didn't want to be in the spotlight, but she was. Sharon told him that it was ironic.

"See! You really are smart!" he had said. "Most kids our age don't even know what irony is!"

Sharon just smiled and blushed. He had already asked her to come to the ballet with him because he knew that she would appreciate it more than he would. She would also know the right things to say to Trelawney afterwards. It would save him from having to say anything other than "Good job." Another one of the many things that Hal liked about her was that she always knew what to say to Trelawney, even if nobody else did. She tried to explain it to him.

"Everyone judges Trelawney because she is so sweet and innocent," she said. "Because she is so _good _everyone thinks that she is either foolish or stupid. But there are some things that Trelawney understands that no one else can."

"That's what Prudence says," he replied.

Sharon nodded. "Prudence would know. She's still so young that she hasn't grown cynical yet. When Trelawney talks about fairies and the wee folk she understands the truth in what she says."

"What truth?" asked Hal.

"Just because you can't see something doesn't mean that it's not real," explained Sharon. "Let's just say for a minute that what Trelawney believes is right and what we believe is wrong. How can we really judge? She says that she hears the music of the spheres. But none of us can hear it. Maybe it's really there, but we are simply deaf to it."

"I guess that you could be right," said Hal slowly. "Dad once told me that that was how scientific research was able to advance. Someone had an idea and then a hypothesis and it might be centuries later that someone else proved it."

Sharon shook her head.

"That's not right at all. Trelawney isn't talking about ideas and hypotheses. She's talking about something that is very real, like when she talks about auras."

"Do you believe in auras? I mean, have you ever seen one?"

"No, but I hope to," she said. "Trelawney is very insightful. I take it as a great compliment that she says that I have a pale green aura. That means that I am a healer, a peacemaker. And you know that when artists painted portraits of the saints they put halos around their heads. Some people think that they are auras because gold is the color of goodness and spirituality."

"But couldn't they have painted them in on purpose?" asked Hal.

"No," replied Sharon. "They wouldn't have known about them. They would only have painted what they saw. When I draw pictures of people, I always look for auras but I never see them. I don't have the second sight even though they say that many artists do."

"And Trelawney does?" Hal asked slowly.

"Yes," said Sharon, nodding her head again. "And I think that your Mom does too, only she never mentions it. She's a lot more sophisticated than Trelawney."

"Because she's older?" asked Hal.

"No," said Sharon. "No matter how old Trelawney gets she'll never be that sophisticated. She doesn't know how to hide her feelings or what she knows. Sometimes when she says something that's odd, she looks at your Mom like she made a mistake."

"I never noticed that!" said Hal.

"That's because you're too busy trying to figure out what Trelawney is talking about," she explained. "I don't. I'm more interested in her as a person. She's really pretty incredible when you think about."

"I guess I don't think about it much," he admitted. "She's just always been there for the past two years like another annoying little sister. I suppose that I take her for granted."

"That's too bad," commented Sharon. "No one should ever take anyone else for granted. But Trelawney is very special. Little sister or not, you should never take her for granted."

Talking with Sharon about Trelawney made him wonder how Whitney would have felt about her. He hadn't really told her much about Trelawney or the rest of the family. They were too busy talking about science. He and Sharon never talked about science, but they talked about more personal stuff. She liked to come over his house because it was so loud and busy and he liked to go to hers because it was so quiet.

It was funny one day when Sharon and Francine met each other. He had never told Sharon that Francine used to be the most annoying person in his life. He still wasn't crazy about her, but since she was Trelawney's best friend, he tolerated her. Sharon told her that she admired her acting skills and Francine politely thanked her. The next thing he knew they were yacking away like best friends about some people they both knew from church. They both went to St. Peter's.

He was baffled. It was totally weird watching the girl who had had a crush on him for her whole life chatting it up with his new girlfriend. Sharon couldn't possibly know, but Francine sure did. His Mom looked at him in amusement.

"Are you disappointed?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"Did you think that they would fight over you or something?" she inquired drily.

"I don't know," he said. "I guess I just never thought that they might end up being _friends."_

She smiled knowingly.

"Francine no longer has any interest in you whatsoever," she said. "She only comes here to see Trelawney when she visits. I think that you can finally relax around her. In a year or two she'll have her own boyfriend and then you may be sorry."

"No way!" he said. "No Mercy girls for me! But what about Trelawney, will she have a boyfriend too?"

Mom got a very interesting look on her face. It was a look that said that she didn't think so, but didn't want to admit it. She looked over at the girls. Sharon and Francine were talking about something while Trelawney was playing with Maisie. Trelawney looked like she was closer in age to Maisie than the other two girls. It wasn't about size. It was about the look on her face. It was obvious that while Francine and Sharon were growing up, Trelawney was still a little girl.

But then Sharon sat down beside her and put her arm around Trelawney's shoulder. She seemed to whisper something in her ear and Trelawney looked delighted. It was at that moment that Hal's heart melted. Sharon understood Trelawney as well as any of them did, maybe even better. He glanced over at Mom and saw the tears in her eyes. She had noticed it too. Hal was glad that he had met Sharon. She might say that Trelawney was the one who was special, but she was real special too.

It was one thing for a girl to try to suck up to a guy's family to get in good with him, but it was entirely something else to befriend Trelawney. She wasn't easy for people to understand, but Sharon understood her perfectly. And it wasn't like she was trying or anything. In fact, usually the harder you tried to understand Trelawney, the harder it got. Sharon didn't try, she just did.

It had taken Hal some time to realize that Sharon was the kind of girl that he could fall in love with. He didn't have a crush on her. He had never felt all speechless and stupid around her, like the books said that a guy did when he was in love. He just liked her a whole lot.

He looked forward to seeing her in school every day and talking stuff over with her. So far, he hadn't really done more than hold her hand, although after he walked her to the door when Dad dropped her off from a school dance, he kissed her on the cheek. He didn't want to do all that other stuff with her and she seemed happy that he didn't. He figured that it must be hard to be a girl and have all the guys trying to get you to do things that would make them feel good, but maybe make you feel uncomfortable.

It was one of the reasons why he was relieved when Trelawney went to her all girls school. There weren't any guys try any monkey business with her. She had gone to a school dance with Francine and Sarah and Mom had insisted on chaperoning. She was very nervous beforehand, but when she came home she laughed.

"I can't believe that I was so worried," she told Dad. "The girls danced and the boys stood around the edges and looked uncomfortable."

"Where did they get the boys from?" asked Dad in a tone a voice that implied that they must have rented them or something.

"There are a couple of boys schools in the area that were invited," she answered. "It was really very sweet. In the car on the way home, she and Francine giggled about the cute boys. It was almost like she was a normal preteen girl."

Hal had exchanged a glance with his father when she said that. Hal knew that Mom thought that Trelawney would never have a boyfriend of her own. But he could see that his Dad agreed with him. There was no reason why someday Trelawney couldn't have a boyfriend. She was so pretty that no doubt the guys would all be lining up for her. But Hal didn't think that it would matter in the least to Trelawney.

Secretly, he thought that Trelawney was in love with Topher. Of course she would never say anything, but once when no one else was around she asked him about Jeannie. He felt bad, but he had to tell her the truth. Trelawney always knew a lie when she heard one. In school, Topher totally ignored him. And he never went anywhere without Jeannie, except to his classes.

He hated to see the sad look in her eyes and realized that even though she was probably coming home soon, she wouldn't really be any happier. He knew that she had never thought of Topher as a boyfriend. He was way too old for her. But he was her knight in shining armor. And she was the fair maiden that he had protected.

He wondered what had gotten into Topher. Three months was a long time to date a bimbo like Jeannie for any guy. He must be real bored with her by now. He knew that Topher would never think of Trelawney as a girlfriend. She was just a nice little girl who was one of his sister's best friends. He had been her protector just like he would for any of his little sisters. He had even seemed to get a real kick out of it.

Hal knew that Trelawney had never seen or met Jeannie. He really hoped that she never would. Jeannie was everything that Trelawney wasn't as a girl. She was already grown up and just the right age for Topher. He figured that Topher might be staying away so that he wouldn't hurt her feelings by making her feel like a little kid.

But the fact remained that she was a little kid and he was a man. And men like Topher had no interest in little girls like Trelawney, other than as little sisters. Hal had always thought that she had looked at him like he was a big brother, but maybe he was wrong. He finally decided to ask Sharon, even though she didn't really know Topher other than from this year. She didn't know the real Topher, but she did know the real Trelawney.

"Hmm," she said. "That's kind of sad for Trelawney. Especially since he had to pick a Barbie doll to date."

"A Barbie doll?" asked Hal, now confused.

"You know what a Barbie doll looks like," she said. "That's how Miss Jeannie is built. A lot of guys like that, you know."

"I never thought about it," admitted Hal. "She just has never looked like a very nice person to me. When she smiles it looks kind of fake. I don't think that she really likes anyone but herself."

"I think you're right," said Sharon. "I'm surprised that a smart guy like Topher would fall for her."

"Everyone says that opposites attract," replied Hal. "Maybe that's what happened."

"Maybe," said Sharon doubtfully. "But the whole thing doesn't make any sense. Especially now that you tell the kind of person that Topher was before he met her. And Trelawney would never develop a crush on anyone but a good and kind person."

"That's what I thought," sighed Hal. "I just hate to see her hurting again. I want her to be happy."

"Do you think that she would be happy if Topher liked her back?" asked Sharon. "He's much too old for her. I mean, he could get arrested or something."

"Yeah, I know," replied Hal. "Maybe I could introduce her to a nice guy closer to her own age."

"You could try," commented Sharon. "But I don't think that it would make a bit of difference."

"Why is that?"

"Call it woman's intuition," she answered. "Trelawney will get over it in her own time. But if I were you, I would stay out of it."

In the end, Hal decided to mind his own business. He would keep his eye on Trelawney and be ready to comfort her if anything did happen with Topher that really disappointed her. He was glad to know that Sharon would help too. Together they could help take care of her.

_To be continued . . ._


	4. Phoebe's Folly

**Phoebe's Folly**

Despite her joy at the upcoming event, Phoebe could feel her anxiety building as the day of the christening approached. It had been quite a few years since she had seen so many family members together in one place at time. It was almost three years in fact. A lot of water had gone under the bridge since then. They had all changed in their various ways. She herself had certainly changed as profoundly as any of them.

Although she had seen most of the guests within the past three years individually, this was the first time that they would get to see the "new Phoebe" collectively, and that they would have the opportunity to be in the same place at the same time to compare notes. She felt trepidation at the thought that they could now compare Phoebe Figalilly with Phoebe Everett or, more to the point, Mama Phoebe with Nanny Phoebe. But it wasn't all about her either. Their various personalities also had the potential to convict with one another.

She supposed that this is the way that she would have felt about seeing the assembled family if they had had a large wedding. Bringing together large groups of relatives is always full of danger when one begins to consider all of the possible personality combinations and their inherently explosive potential. She had to admit that she was only fooling herself if she thought that these two issues were at the root of her worry. There was truly only one very important thing that had her most on edge.

Trelawney had told her that she planned to ask Uncle David to return her to her custody. It was time for her to come home. Phoebe had nervously approached Hal with the idea, only to discover that he was ready to welcome her home with open arms, and it wasn't just because she was no longer haunted by the unicorn. He had developed a very genuine love and appreciation for her. They discussed it at length and he made it clear that he understood the full ramifications of this action.

He could see as well as anyone that Trelawney would never be capable of marrying or living on her own. He knew that once she entered his home, she was there for life. The only thing that could change that was the unlikely event that she might choose to return to the village. But he knew that that would never happen. He knew that she and Phoebe would always need to be near one another.

He had also come to know Trelawney well enough to understand that she would never try to come between them or be a threat to their marriage. She would be a blessing in their home, a perpetual child who would always give them joy and amusement through her kind and gentle ways.

Neither of them saw her attending college and earning a degree. When she finished her education she would stay with her to help raise their children. She would play her piano, sew and do needlework, and in all probability become actively involved in the good works of the church.

She would fill that very traditional, albeit rapidly disappearing, role of the maiden aunt in her children's lives. And as the children grew older and moved into their own lives, she would be there as company for Phoebe. Hal enjoyed teaching and research too much to think of ever truly "retiring." He would feel free to pursue his interests without feeling that he was leaving his wife on her own. It would ultimately help to balance both of their needs and continue the harmonious nature of their marriage for years to come.

Like her, he presently feared that his mother would be reluctant to hand over custody. But he also explained to her that his father had been hinting around that he would like Trelawney to return to their home. He still had some traveling that he wanted to do while they were both still young and in good health. And he wanted more privacy. He loved living up the street from them, but he wanted them to have the freedom to come and go as they pleased.

They would still be there to help out when needed, but they would have their own lives. That was something that they had lacked this past year. Rob had also suspected that when all was said and done Catherine would be relieved to send Trelawney home. In the past couple of months it had become obvious, even to her, that Trelawney missed her sister desperately. But ultimately, the matter remained in Uncle David's hands.

Legal action would need to be taken to solidify the new custody arrangement, not that anyone would wish to challenge it if it changed again. Even immediately after the death of her parents, no official action was taken to give Phoebe custody. However, the custody agreement written last April had specified that Rob and Catherine would only have custody until Trelawney could return to Phoebe. It was Uncle David who was the final arbiter of when that would occur.

Phoebe could think of no reason why he would deny their request. But so many things had come to pass out of the blue that she no longer sought any comfort in reason. Of course as children grow and stretch, there are different outcomes. Hal and Prudence, at least, were both maturing for the better.

Hal had gotten over his initial discomfort with high school and was now happily carving his own niche. Prudence had discovered the benefits of no longer being the baby of the family and was enjoying her tandem roles of big girl and big sister. She had formed her own "gaggle of giggling girls," as Hal called them, such as Trelawney had and no longer really needed her full attention. This freed her to tend to Maisie without guilt and of course Prudence was much happier for it.

Only Butch remained disgruntled. And for once she felt at a loss with how to deal with it. Butch had always been a fairly easygoing kid. She had trouble understanding his rejection of his father and the grudge that he held against him. It was most out of character. Something was eating at him, but no one was able to figure out what. She suspected that even he didn't know.

Hal had given up trying to make peace with him. In fact they barely spoke with one another. Butch was still somewhat responsive to her, but he treated his father as if he were invisible. He made obnoxious comments to his brother Hal and Prudence but they had long since learned to ignore him. That didn't seem to bother him at all. Only Trelawney continued to approach him with kindness. He attempted to push her away several times, but she was tenacious. She was also undeterred by his rude and thoughtless behavior.

"Poor lad," she said to Phoebe out of the blue one day. "He is most unhappy."

Phoebe agreed but that didn't help the situation at home. Rob tried, but even his favorite grandparent couldn't get through to him. She only hoped that Butch would behave himself while the family was there. The last thing that they needed was to show any conflict in the house.

Meanwhile, the center of the action continued to grow and thrive. At three months old, Maisie was cooing and clucking all day long. When Hal went into the university to work on his project, Phoebe enjoyed her company. It was impossible to feel lonely when her little girl was never far from her side as she went through her daily routine. Because the children all had activities after school, Maisie had adapted herself nicely to the constant in and out of the car. Wherever they went, she drew admiration from all around her.

When she picked up Prudence at Brownies and dance class all the little girls knew her and vied to catch her attention as she stared back at them with her big blue eyes. Even Butch's friends, to his disgust, thought that she was a pretty cool baby. But it was Hal who had really hit the jackpot by having a baby sister.

When Hal had returned from his summer program, he had told her all about a girl, Whitney, that he had met and had a summer romance with. At the time, he had been picturing a blossoming long distance romance. She didn't want to discourage him so she encouraged him to exchange a couple of letters before the young lady lost interest.

Still eager to form an attachment with a girl who shared his interests, he set his sights on Trelawney's friend Sarah. But Sarah was still in middle school and presently caught up in her new school life. She gently dissuaded him by pointing out the vast social gap between middle and high school. She was relieved when he accepted this. Sarah's brother was Topher, the young man who had come to her with the outrageous request to betroth himself to Trelawney.

In the end, a girl from Hal's English class, enchanted by the sight of Hal caring for Maisie while they waited for her to return from inside the school had caught his interest. Sharon was a kind and gentle girl who loved babies and was an artist. She and Hal developed a casual dating relationship, based on mutual interests other than science. In addition to Maisie, Sharon was very fond of Trelawney. Phoebe herself was very happy with the sweet girl who was having a moderating influence on her intense, scientist son.

She was a very genuine person. She adored Hal, but never flattered him. And she enjoyed spending time with Maisie, Trelawney, and even Prudence. But it wasn't to try and impress Hal. Trelawney liked her because she made her feel safe. Phoebe suspected that Sharon knew all about Trelawney but she never showed her any deference.

She was also very conversant about some of Trelawney's favorite topics like the music of the spheres and auras. Nothing that Trelawney said ever caught her off guard or made her laugh, unless they were sharing a joke. Hal said that Sharon reminded him of Trelawney, but actually she saw a greater resemblance to Francine, especially in her willingness to love and appreciate her sister. And the new friend in her life seemed to fill some of the void left by her friend Topher. She had forbidden him to come near her until he could accept her as she was.

She could still not for the life of her, figure out where he had come up with such a crazy idea as to betrothing himself to her. He was five years older than her sister, and at seventeen and twelve that was a yawning, not to mention illegal, gap. However, she sincerely doubted that he had any physical attraction to her. He had told her that he loved her kind soul and gentle spirit. He had also assured her that he would love and protect her. It had been her duty to firmly, but kindly, send him away unhappy.

She felt odd being in the position that she was presently in with her sister. She herself was no longer the young ingénue. Now she was the matron, the married woman whose job it was to keep the younger generation in line. She still saw Trelawney as a child in almost every way. And wanted to protect her. But technically speaking, she and Trelawney, being sisters, were of the same generation. If they were closer in age, she could have perhaps shared the experience as a coconspirator, rather than a surrogate parent.

She felt secretly guilty for standing in the way of the "young lovers." Her husband had tried to draw her into a conversation about how to deal with the disenchanted, no t to mention disconsolate, young girl, but she had refused. She felt uncomfortable admitting her concerns to him, suspecting that he would have viewed the situation much more indulgently and sympathetically. He would have viewed her sister's first crush as normal. But that was because he just didn't understand Trelawney.

There was no possible happy outcome for this situation. In their own ways, both Trelawney and Topher were too young to understand what was really best for themselves the long run. Any show of kindness on Topher's part would be seen as commitment on Trelawney's. Her tender heart would envision them marrying and living happily ever after, just like all the fairy tales that she loved. And he would continue to grow and mature. Sooner or later he would find her tiresome and walk away. It would leave the girl devastated.

She knew that Topher was a very special young man. He had a brilliant scientific mind, not to mention that he was a kind and gentle soul himself. He was also extremely idealistic, a quality that came through in his clear turquoise aura. He came from the best of families, was churchgoing, and exceedingly thoughtful of others. In many ways, he didn't fit into this world any better than Trelawney did. However, he was also streetwise and resourceful. He worked a number of jobs and had his own band.

The oldest of six children, the younger five all girls, he was determined that he would not be a drain on the family finances when it was time for him to go to college. His father was a mechanic in a local garage. Topher would be the first in his family to attend college and they were all very proud of him. However, recent news of him had not been good and she hoped that she was not the cause.

Since she had rejected his request to betroth himself to Trelawney, he had taken up with a very sexy young woman who was now singing with his band. The two had apparently become inseparable. The band was playing several "gigs" a week and when they were not playing or practicing, he and the young lady could be seen all over town "hanging" all over one another.

When she had told him that his pursuit of her sister was not appropriate, she had suggested that he find a young woman closer to his own age. "Jeannie" was also a senior at the high school who had a reputation, in addition to being a very talented singer, for living a fast lifestyle. In fact, if Topher had purposely gone out to find Trelawney's polar opposite, it would be Jeannie.

Trelawney still adored Topher as her gallant knight and had been cruelly shocked, when his sister Sarah and her friend Francine, gently gave her the news about his new girlfriend. Not understanding the situation completely, although the other two girls certainly did, she had been heartbroken. Phoebe had no idea of where Trelawney had thought their friendship might have led someday, but after she found out about his girlfriend, she was clearly crushed.

She tried to work it out through the dolls in the dollhouse, but their understanding was limited by her own. Phoebe could not explain it to her either. Girls like Jeannie weren't raised in the village, although if one did pop up she never lasted long. Among other things, none of the men there would even look at her. The fact that Topher could even think of taking up with her, confirmed her belief that he had no real understanding of either Trelawney or their culture.

She could not figure out a way of explaining Jeannie to Trelawney without it sounding as though she was criticizing Topher. The girl was a tramp, plain and simple, and no decent young man would want his name linked with hers. She didn't want to risk either alienating Trelawney from herself or inadvertently sending her off on a mission to save him. She knew that the heart of her difficulty with the matter was that her own ability to analyze a situation and work out best possible outcomes was hampered by her love for her sister. It called her own judgment into question.

It was one of those areas that she was beginning to realize that her experience as a nanny had not prepared her for. It is so much easier to view things dispassionately when one's own children were not involved. Maternal instincts were certainly interfering with her decision-making. But she also knew that she had better become accustomed to these feelings. For now, the only solution that she could think of was to keep them apart.

Fortunately, Topher had made good on his promise to stay away from her. If she came in close contact with him, her second sight would let her know exactly what he was up to with the young woman. If Phoebe was afraid of how Trelawney might react to any declarations of his feelings before, she had an even greater fear of what she would do if she knew the nature of his involvement with such a person.

She did not know for sure that they actually were sleeping together, although liking Topher as she did. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. However, it was something that would be deeply shocking to a little girl who revered her knight in shining armor as the epitome of chivalry and courtly love. He could unknowingly do a lot of damage to her.

Living outside the village was inherently stressful for one such as her. A disappointment of this magnitude could easily trip her sensitive mind into one of her escapes into fantasy. Even worse, she might try to physically escape as well. Phoebe was now caught in a bind.

The situation was worse than it had been three months ago when the young man had first approached her. She needed to speak to Topher and tell him that he stood a very good chance of further damaging the child he had professed to love by allowing her to discover the truth. She didn't want to go near him, but she didn't feel that she had a choice.

Fortunately, Topher had raised his profile enough in the community through his relationship with Jeannie that it was not difficult for her to find him while the children were still at their after school activities. Knowing that he had a favorite diner that he liked to hang out in, she kept her eye out for the van whenever she was running errands. One day, fairly close to the christening, she was rewarded for her efforts when she finally caught sight of it.

In the middle of the day, the diner was relatively crowded with older folks, so Topher and the girl were easy to spot in a corner booth. Carrying Maisie on her hip, she approached him. Jeannie looked up at her almost insolently. She was a very pretty girl, but provocatively dressed and clearly very possessive of Topher. Despite his feelings for her, he at least had the manners to stand when she stood beside the table and to greet her politely.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" pouted the sun-bleached blonde.

"This is my friend Jeannie," he said quickly. "Jeannie, this is Mrs. Everett. Oh, and Maisie."

"Cute kid," she said carelessly in answer to Phoebe's polite greeting. "What do you want?"

Topher rolled his eyes.

"Jeannie, why don't you go take a powder or whatever it is you girls do in the ladies' room?" he suggested.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she replied, leaning over him so that her ample bosom rested on his arm. Surprisingly, he ignored the gesture and pulled away.

"Just get lost while I talk to Mrs. Everett," he replied impatiently.

"Will you miss me?" she asked coyly.

"Yeah, right," he commented. "Don't come back until Mrs. Everett has gone."

With a bit of a huff, she flounced away from the table, her short skirt barely covering her backside. Topher looked after her with a sardonic look on his face. Phoebe had the instant impression that he didn't like her in the least. In the same instant, she got the strong impression that they were intimately involved and that Topher was enjoying the physical aspect of the relationship anyway. She sighed with disappointment. At least she knew where she had to begin.

"What can I do for you, Mrs. Everett?" asked Topher politely.

She suddenly realized that she now had to make the speech that she had spent days preparing.

"May I sit down?"

"Of course," he said, gesturing to the seat across the table. Maisie looked at him with her big eyes and cooed a little bit. Involuntarily, he smiled at her. For an instant, he looked like the old Topher. But then he caught himself and put a bored expression on his face. She decided to try to go easy on him.

"Topher," she began. "I know what's up between you and that young woman."

She stopped, regretting her choice of words. He didn't indicate that he noticed the unintentional double entendre so she continued. Instead he waited for her to continue.

"I am here to ask you to stay completely away from Trelawney," she continued. "I do not want you even in her presence. She has heard about your relationship with _her_ and it has her very confused."

"And why is that?" he asked in annoyance.

"You are her knight in shining armor," she said simply. "She sees you as her perfect hero. She does not understand girls like Jeannie. You came to me a couple of months ago claiming that you loved her and wanted to protect her. If you really meant that, you will now avoid her completely."

"She would know," he said thoughtfully.

"She would know," Phoebe confirmed. "And it would destroy her. She is finally happy after some very dark sadness. Please let her continue to be happy."

Topher looked down and examined his hands. Then he looked up at Phoebe squarely in the eye.

"I do love her and I will always love her," he stated. "I will do nothing that would hurt her in any way. I will make sure that I stay away from her completely."

He paused and then asked, "Is she really happy?"

Phoebe sighed. She could see that he still harbored strong feelings for her. He clearly cared more about Trelawney's feelings than his own. Once again, she felt a twinge of regret that she had to play the spoiler in this _"l'affaire de couer."_

"She is as happy as she can be. She likes her new school. And her friends, including your sister, take good care of her," she said carefully so as not to arouse his sympathy. "And of course she loves Maisie very much."

She did not mention that there were times when she knew that the child was missing him and that his absence had left a hole in her life. Despite the age difference, they had shared a special friendship based on their love of music and Jesus. They had the same inclinations towards good works. Even now she could sense in him the same rift in his heart as there was in hers. It was good she had stopped things before they had gone any further. It was not just Trelawney who could potentially be very hurt.

Topher stared off into the distance. Phoebe could see that he was regretting some of his recent choices in life. He truly loved Trelawney in a pure and chaste way, in the way that a gallant knight would. But now he felt unworthy. He sensed that she had encouraged his better self in a way that the other girl never could. She decided to leave him with his thoughts. She stood up to walk away and then impulsively turned back to him.

"Come back to us Topher," she said softly. "Your friends, your family, we all love you. This behavior is only hurting yourself."

He looked up, directly into her eyes.

"I know," he said with a ring of honesty. "But maybe that's exactly what I want to do."

He looked away. Maisie squirmed in her arms and made a few little squawking noises. It sounded as if she disapproved. Phoebe held her more tightly and walked away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jeannie return to the table and reattach herself to the young man. She couldn't bear to see anymore, so she fixed her eyes on the door and walked out.

As if by remote control, she settled Maisie in the car seat and herself behind the wheel. She felt as though there was something going on with Topher that was not right at all. He was clearly concealing something. Quickly, she started the car and pulled out. She immediately drove to Trinity Church. She needed to speak with Pastor Jason.

When she arrived, it seemed as though he was waiting for her. It always did. She sat down with Maisie on her lap and explained her concerns.

"Phoebe, you know that I am here to watch over Trelawney," said Pastor Jason. "You and Maisie are also in my care, but I can do nothing for Topher."

"But you are his pastor," she objected.

"As such," he continued. "I can only give him counseling and advice if he asks. He has not had a private conversation with me in months. I pray for him every day. He is well on his way to becoming a lost soul, but it is not too late."

"This is my fault," she said bowing her head. The child in her arms clucked a bit in disagreement. Pastor Jason looked at Maisie sharply. Maisie stared back at him with her large blue eyes. Phoebe was too upset to notice the unspoken communication.

"And in what way is any of this your fault?" he asked gently.

"When he came to speak with me about Trelawney, I was so cold," she said. "He wasn't trying to do anything wrong. In fact, he thought that what he was doing was right. The first thing that he asked was if she had been promised to anyone else. Then he asked how he could betroth himself to her. He wants her to know that he will marry her when she grows up. He truly loves her in a pure and chaste way. That much is so. I could sense it when I just saw him now."

"He brought the betrothal issue to me as well," replied the pastor. "And I told him the same thing. If you are at fault, then so am I."

"He told me that he had spoken with you," she said. "And that you felt as I did. But he loves her just the same."

"He loves the girl that he thinks that she is," he corrected. "He doesn't really know Trelawney. I've known him since he was a very young child and he has always been very idealistic. He sees her as perfect. And she sees him that way also. You did well to tell him to stay completely away from her."

"I know," she admitted. "But I hate to see him punishing himself for no reason. He as much as admitted that he was hurting himself."

Pastor Jason leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers as he thought about what he would say next. Phoebe waited patiently until he began to speak again.

"Phoebe, there is something that I am going to tell you," he finally said. "It will help give you some context for understanding him, and why he and Trelawney are drawn to each other. But you can never tell another soul."

"You know me," she replied. "I will not tell anyone. Anything that you can tell me that will help me to help my sister will be kept in complete confidence."

"I knew that but I needed to hear you say it. Topher is a child of light," he simply stated. "He is a child of light whom the darkness is trying to swallow, using this young woman to destroy him. It has happened before, to other children of light. Topher is at a terrible disadvantage because he doesn't know who he is and therefore what he is really fighting."

"I did not know that one such as Topher could be a child of light," she said slowly.

"It is very rare," replied Jason. "And it is even more rare that they survive past young adulthood. All children of light are under tremendous pressure from the forces of darkness. Topher has lost his faith. It is very ironic that he who tried to save Cholmondeley should now be under attack by the same forces. It may be revenge. It may be that he is potentially a great threat to them. There is no way of knowing. It is not allowed."

"Isn't there anything that we can do?" she asked.

"No," he said sharply. "And don't even try. Your only concern in this matter is your sister. Keep her away from him. He will keep his promise to stay away from her. For all we know, the darkness is using him to get at her again."

Phoebe felt deeply troubled. She knew that he was right. He didn't like to send her away without any answers, but this was the best he could do. As an angel, he knew more than anyone could. But he didn't know everything. Only God did.

"Phoebe," he said more calmly. "Be glad that Trelawney is in the care of the good sisters. No harm can come to her in that place. That is where she spends most of her days."

"I thought that we were passed this," she murmured.

"We will never be passed 'this' as long as Trelawney lives," he said. "As you know, she will never be capable of looking after herself. As a child of light yourself, you are her best protection. You have been lucky. Your life has had its share of sorrow, but you are now beyond that. Use your strength for her. And look at the bright side. She is much safer now than she was before and so are you all. Stop looking into the shadows. Look at the light. Focus your mind on the good. There is much out there."

She looked at him doubtfully and he continued.

"The answers are never easy when it comes to matters of the heart. You should know that by now better than anyone. And this is all a part of Trelawney's growing up. One of the things that you cannot protect her from is her own feelings. All young girls experience some heartache over a boy at some point. You can't prevent it, but you can be there with the tea and sympathy when she needs it."

"Just as Mum would have done," she said regretfully.

"Yes, exactly like that," he replied. "Tell me, did she comfort you when you had your first disappointment with a boy?"

"Yes, of course," answered Phoebe. "I guess that you're trying to get me to remember what it was like to be young and in the throes of a first crush."

"I guess that I am," he said with a smile. "Even little Ttelawney is entitled to her teenage crush on her hero. You wouldn't want to deny her _that _now would you?"

"No," she admitted unwillingly.

She knew that he was right, but she just wished that it didn't have to be Topher. He was the one boy that she needed to keep her away from. But then again, she sighed, we certainly don't get to pick who we fall in love with. She felt very fortunate that she had fallen in love with such wonderful man who was right for her in every way. There were not many women who could say that in this day and age.

_To be continued . . . _


	5. The Pastor's Progress

**The Pastor's Progress**

Pastor Jason inwardly sighed. Phoebe gave him a feeble smile as she left his office. He was relieved to see her go. It had been an extremely difficult conversation for both of them. Both of them cared very much for Topher, and these developments were very disturbing. As she walked out, Maisie looked back at him over her shoulder. He sensed her every thought.

This was a most unusual child. She wanted him to assure her mother that everything was going to work out. It had not worked out in past lifetimes, but this time it would. Trelawney was making her final journey home. She was finally going to have the life she had lost with the souls of Hal and Phoebe centuries earlier when they had originally conceived her. But it would not happen as a permanent living arrangement.

Topher and Trelawney were meant for each other, regardless of what anyone else said. Their union had been a long time in coming. The dark forces that had worked hard to keep them apart were still at work. It was Maisie's job to make sure that this time they were not kept apart. They had very important work to accomplish together. But Maisie didn't know what it was.

Maisie too was on her final journey home. She had been sent to help guide Trelawney and to care for her. She would step in where Phoebe, because of her own conflicted feelings, could not. He stared back at the infant in warning. She had already revealed to Trelawney her past life relationship with Hal and Phoebe.

This was wrong and was now only creating more heartache for the child by her separation from them. As if her separation from Topher wasn't generating enough angst of its own. When Sylvia Figalilly came in a few days he would speak to her and make sure that she told her father David to return the child to her sister. It would at least give her a modicum of peace.

After they were gone, he wondered how long it would be before Maisie spoke her first word. That would cut off her ability to drop these little bits of dangerous information quickly enough. It was obvious that she was already an advanced child. No doubt her soul was eager for her mind to develop so that she could more actively engage with the world around her. She was going to be a very interesting person. He could see that she had some awareness of Topher that she had concealed from him. She was a little imp. He had no doubt that she would keep them all on their toes once she came into her own.

Maisie had been almost as long as Trelawney in waiting to come to this world. Unlike Trelawney, she had a better awareness now of the world that she had entered. It was more than the fact that she was more than fully mentally present. She had spent time with Meg and Owen, and even Helen, in heaven. In fact, she had been the final piece in the elaborate puzzle that now kept them from watching their loved ones on earth. They were all finally at peace in God's kingdom.

As long as the celestial angels gazed earthward, they could never find the true peace and joy that they had earned through their many previous lifetimes. Meg and Owen had worried for their daughters, Helen for her children and, to a lesser degree, her husband. Phoebe had originally been sent to Hal, at Helen's request, to help him find a wife so that she could have the peace of knowing that her loved ones were taken care of.

When Phoebe and Hal fell in love, she was delighted. There could be no better mother for her children than a child of light. And she knew that her devotion to her husband and children would be singular. Lastly, she had realized any woman that Hal brought into his home would be a threat to her own mother. A child of light would be intuitive enough to understand this and patient and kind enough to help her come to terms with it.

Trelawney had been an added bonus. Despite the issues that she had brought with her, Helen recognized that she was pure light and love. Ultimately it was she who had reconciled her mother to Phoebe. Her parents had reentered her children's lives and all of her loved ones were taken care of. Helen had turned eyes away from earth last Christmas and known her full heavenly reward ever since.

It had taken Meg and Owen longer to fully embrace the peace of the kingdom of heaven, but the birth of Maisie had finally caused them to look away as well. Jason was glad. They trusted Maisie to help him to protect them both, but most especially Trelawney. As a guardian angel he was now able to focus his full attention on the child in his care, without looking heavenward himself. And right now she was the one in need of him most. He decided that he would contact Rob and have him bring her over. He needed to know what was going on in her head.

It was a couple of days before the christening when she quietly entered his office with her head bowed. He was immediately concerned. Ten of her family members from England were flying in that night and she should have been bursting with excitement. The balloon ladies were due to arrive tomorrow and Uncle Alfred would show up soon, albeit in his own time. He looked at her sympathetically.

"You are not as happy as you should be little one," he said gently after she was seated and Rob had closed the door behind him.

"I am happy," she said in a subdued voice.

"I am not saying that you are not happy," he replied carefully. "I am saying that you are not as happy as you should be."

She looked thoughtful. He knew that she understood the logic of his response. Far from being vibrant, her aura was dull. He knew that she planned to ask David to permit her to return to Phoebe's home and he knew that all the legalities would be tied up before the Figalillys returned to England. So did she. There was something else that was upsetting her. He needed for her to tell him.

"Is your new school to your liking?" he asked.

"Oh yes, indeed," she replied. "Is it quite lovely."

"Do you have lots of nice friends?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," she said. "I do."

"Are you happy that your family is coming for the christening?"

"Yes."

"Now Trelawney," he chided. "Normally you have more to say than is good for you. Yet you have answered my questions with shorter and shorter answers each time. You know that you cannot hide anything from me. But you also know that I prefer that you express yourself verbally. It is better for you."

"I know," she sighed. "But I have been thinking so much that the words aren't easy to find to express my thoughts out loud."

"Well, this is highly unusual," he said, trying to lighten her mood. "The little girl who is famous for letting her mouth run ahead of her thoughts has suddenly become pensive. Sweet child, please let me help. You know that that is why I have been sent to you. Please help me to do my job."

"I know, sir, but I am most confused. Dear Topher has quite suddenly vanished from my life," she said with a hint of her old drama. "I am bereft. What am I to do without my knight in shining armor?"

"Has it ever occurred to you that now that he has completed his duties, he must move on?"

"That could not happen," she said. "Topher is a child of light like me. There are no others of us here except for Phoebe and Maisie. They are here to help me, but I shall not be with them permanently. Topher and I are meant for each other, I just know it."

And you are right, was his immediate thought. It was not the first time that he had considered this possibility. Most recently Maisie had suggested it to him. Because Trelawney knew so much about the matter, he realized that any force that destroyed Topher would destroy her as well. It was as good as two for the price of one, as the advertisements said.

They were each other's perfect halves. They had much work to do together. She knew it and he suspected that even if Topher didn't know it, he felt it. Suddenly the idea of betrothing himself to the child made sense. Rather than being the romantic notion of an idealistic young man, it was a very natural instinct to join with "the other."

"What do you want?" he asked carefully. "He is much too old for you now. In this culture, and at this time of your life in particular, you cannot be together other than as friends."

Tears formed in her eyes and slipped down her cheeks. She knows, he thought. She knows of the other girl and it is breaking her heart. This could not go on. Clearly Topher had been right. He could never look at another. The idea that he would date girls his own age then come back to her would never work.

The young man knew her better than her own guardian angel. This match was truly destined. And no power of heaven would ever want this kind of heartache for a child of light. The forces of darkness were at work again. For whatever reason, both young people were suffering. And as a cruel irony, their suffering was being caused by those who loved them best. It never failed to astonish him how utterly malevolent the forces of evil were. Phoebe would never see this, but he did. And right now that was all that mattered.

"What is it you want?" he asked again after she did not answer his question.

"I want a betrothal," she replied. "Surely that could not be viewed as wrong."

"You know that there can be no legal contract," he said, skipping over the details. He knew what was in her mind. "Even if Topher were to recognize this himself."

"Yes," she said sadly. "But at this moment, I believe that such a contract is the last thing on his mind, at least with regard to me."

"So you know about the other girl," he said.

"Yes," she replied. "I have heard that she is beautiful and a wonderful singer. They are always together. Topher has no time for a little girl like me. She is a woman and he is a man."

Jason could see that she was putting the only construction on the relationship that she knew. It had never occurred to her that they were lovers, at least in the physical sense. No doubt she thought that they had fallen in love and would get married and then live happily ever after. Her misunderstanding of the situation would have been humorous if it was not so tragic.

For a little girl whose only knowledge of love came from fairytales and a culture that valued monogamy, she had no understanding of Jeannie's true nature. And she would never believe that Topher would behave in any way other than honorably with any woman. Her courtly lover had found an older, more appropriate woman, to fall in love with.

She saw the flaw as being in herself because she was too young. She must not learn the truth. If anything were to destroy her illusion of her shining hero it would be devastating to her. He was sure that Phoebe knew that and that her visit to him, far from being about her concern for Topher, was really about her concern for Trelawney. He now realized the need for that concern.

He was now in a quandary. Chances were that sooner or later, word would come to her of their true relationship. He could tell her and destroy her now or wait and let someone else to do it, perhaps less kindly. He was grateful that Topher was maintaining his distance from her, and that she had never met Jeannie. _They _must be kept apart at all costs. At Trelawney's present low ebb, she would possibly be deeply wounded. The damage could be irreparable. He most definitely must see Sylvia.

"Are you convinced that Topher has truly abandoned you as a friend?" he asked, to buy himself some time to think. "It's not as if you were constantly in one another's company before. You were busy with your own lives much of the time, you know."

"I know," she said. "But I have not seen him in three months, in fact for all of Maisie's lifetime. We were never apart for so long. I could sense him in my thoughts from the moment that we met. We knew each other's minds. I could count on him as I could count on no other."

Jason breathed a sigh of relief. He had his opening.

"But when in the past three months have you actually needed him?" he asked. "There is no longer Aunt Henrietta to torment you or the other children in school. You are now in the care of the good sisters. And when you are not with them you are with Mama Kate or your Phoebe. You are now quite safe."

"Yes, I am," she said thoughtfully. "But it is as if he has closed himself off from me. It it as if he had dropped off the face of the earth."

"If you recall, on two occasions Topher risked his life to save you or your loved ones," he continued. "Remember that this is an important year for him. He is very busy applying to colleges, getting his grades in order, and earning money to pay for school. His attention must be focused on his future. The singer is helping him to earn more money. What makes you think that it is anything more than that?"

"Sarah told me that he spends time with her when the band is not playing, on dates," she answered. "And he kisses her in public. Surely that means that he is in love with her."

It's a pity that Sarah has such big mouth, he thought. She may think that she is helping Trelawney to accept reality, but she has no idea of Trelawney's concept of reality. No doubt, she means well, but this is only making things worse. Now I have to try and untangle this muddle for her without destroying her innocence.

"Trelawney," he said carefully. "I know that this news is devastating, but I have a possible idea. Perhaps Topher and the girl are only pretending to be in love to make more people want to see the band."

"But then why does he kiss her so much?" she asked.

"Well, you said that they do it in public," he added. "Perhaps they only do it in public as if they are acting. You've heard of stage kissing, haven't you?"

"Yes," she replied. "Bur it sounds as if they are doing a very good acting job."

"Yes, it does," said Pastor Jason. "Now this does not mean that he feels that way about you, but you must remember. He is a man. Men cannot go around falling in love with little girls. Men who do that get put in jail. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"I think so," she said. "But Topher would never do anything . . . wrong to me. He is my shining knight, my courtly lover. He loves me from afar, but he does not touch me. And I do not . . . tempt him like that. I am not . . . like that."

"No you are not," he said with a smile. "You are not the evil enchantress. You are the innocent fair maiden. You will lead Topher to his destiny as a good man. But you must be patient. And you must be sure."

"Oh," she said.

"Do you know why the fair maiden is locked up in the tower until the young hero can free her?"

She shook her head.

"She must be kept safe for him," he replied. "Until he can return worthy of her love. You must let the good sisters protect you. You must let Topher prove his worthiness for the task that you may share ahead. And you must let him prepare himself. He must have his schooling."

"That does make sense," she said. "And of course no one in _this_ world could understand it. Do you think that Topher does?"

"That, I cannot say, little one," he said. "But _you_ must keep your faith. You must not give up on him. If you are right and your fates are intertwined, you must prepare yourself as well."

"I must grow up," she said. "I must wait for him faithfully."

"Yes," he agreed with a sigh of relief. He sensed that he was finally getting through to her.

"But Pastor Jason," she asked. "What if he discovers my secret? What if he learns that I am not truly pure and innocent? Will he love me even then?"

"If you are fated to be together," he said. "He will. It will be a further measure of his worthiness."

Leave it to the girl to think of that, he thought. There could be no other girl as worthy of Topher, or any other good man for that matter, as she is. Yet, the shadow of the unicorn still falls over her life. Will that evil ever be driven from her consciousness? Then he thought of something.

"What you have lost," he said. "Was not freely given. It was stolen. That is not the same at all."

"Are you sure?"

"I am absolutely sure," he replied.

Thankfully, she accepted his answer. When she left, she was still troubled, but perhaps less so. She was not entirely convinced by his explanation of Topher playacting with Jeannie, but that was probably because he was not convinced either. At least she accepted his justification for her retained innocence and purity. That surely had been gnawing at her for years.

He would have to speak with her again to clarify it further. He would also add it to his list of things to discuss with Sylvia. He was grateful that he was able to deal with her, rather than the very cynical Emmeline. Sylvia probably knew how to communicate with her through the dolls. She also undoubtedly knew all about her archetypal landscape.

It was interesting that none of this was causing her any nightmares. He suspected that it might be disrupting her sleep, but that would be because she was brooding. He would really like to confront Topher and tell him to stop behaving like a jerk. But unless Topher came in of his own free will, it was unlikely that he would get the chance to tell him that. It was too bad.

Somebody needed to straighten that young man out or all the money in the world wouldn't buy him his future. Money is of little use, in matters of the heart. And there was no amount of money that could give him the treasure that little Trelawney could.

_To be continued . . ._


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Sylvia Figalilly was enjoying her flight into California. It was like a family pre-reunion when she met up with her parents, her brothers, sister, sister-in-law to be, uncle, and cousin. As usual, despite the fact that they were coming in from various directions, they all managed to get themselves on the same flight into their final destination. The Everett brothers had marveled at the convenience of it. The Figalillys were merely amused. It was always fun to toy a little bit with outsiders, especially those who were wealthy "know-it-alls."

She was sitting beside Emmeline who was softly snoring. She had fallen asleep the minute that they had hit cruising altitude. She usually did. Mum was sitting next to Dad. She had never flown before and was looking around, somewhat bemused by the noise and the occasional bumps in turbulence. Since the jet stream ran from west to east over North America, the going was always a bit rougher in this direction. The return flight would be a lot quicker and smoother.

Liam was sitting beside his Mary Chenoweth, soon to be Figalilly. Unlike the golden-haired Figalillys, she was a saucy redhead. Just what Liam needed to keep him in line. She would keep a good home for him and came from good stock. Her brother was married to their Christabel, who was the only one not present.

She had been there for the birth of the little girl. It was an easy one. It was Christabel's third of course, and that made the difference. An old hand at it now, she had mostly been annoyed throughout the labor because it was taking so long. Davey had just popped out quick as can be.

This one, named Annie for Mum, took her own sweet time. As usual, Christy grumbled about her figure and swore it would be the last. Fat chance, thought Sylvia, she wanted a mob to control. Yes, she was a homely one. It was good for her and Em because it meant that they were not expected to settle down and "produce."

Jimmie and Lewis sat side by side as well. Jimmie, like Em, was sleeping, but Lew had his brief case open and was hard at work. Sylvia and Emmeline were plotting to pinch the brief case and hide it for a few days so that he would be forced to be civil to the rest of the family. The man was a workaholic if there ever was one. Pity, she thought, he would have made a good Dad himself.

Finally, she took a glance across the aisle at Johnny and Uncle Charlie. They had had a scare right before they left that Grandfather James would change his mind and want to come. Sylvia could think of no bigger wet blanket on the festivities than that old bugger. He would drink too much and get all soppy about how little Trelawney Rose was the picture of his dear Rosie. And before they knew it, he would be demanding to take the child back with him.

None of them needed that bother. Young Trelawney Rose was settled at her convent school with the good sisters. She was safe and happy and determined to go back to her Phoebe. Syl was glad, not just for Trelawney Rose, but for Phoebe. She might be thrilled to pieces with her little Maisie, but it was time for the little one to go home. Phoebe had been more torn up a year ago than the child had when they moved her out. Now they could be settled once and for all.

She knew that the Angel wanted to see her when she got in. She didn't know why, but suspected that it was something about Trelawney Rose. Phoebe was happy as could be and the baby was thriving. She inwardly sighed. If it wasn't one thing with the little one, it was another. However, there hadn't been a word from Phoebe about any troubles, so it couldn't be anything too bad.

Christenings were always a nice family time. They brought the family together, but had none of fuss and bother of weddings, not to mention the stress. And they included only the closest of family, not every Tom, Dick, and Harry named Figalilly or Everett. And it would be amusing to see those two Everett brothers again. They were a pip they were. Two old men in their forties chasing the skirts of a pair of girls in their twenties, and neither one of them caring about who got which.

Liam and Lew would look upon it all in amusement no doubt, but brother Jimmie would have something to say about it. He was the family moralist, though not necessarily a do-gooder like herself. He had to have his say about everything they all did to the point where occasionally one of them would just tell him to shut up. He was an evangelist of sorts. He called himself a missionary, and said that it was his "mission" to save the souls of all around him. For or from what was never entirely clear.

He liked to pop in and out of the most unlikely places, usually stirring up a bit of trouble before getting out while the getting was good. It wouldn't be so bad except that he had a tendency to start up conflicts between perfectly good folk by demanding his own puritanical versions of moral reform and then spreading the fervor among the faithful. Her own view of religion was that if one wanted to spread it properly, one should stick to the message of Jesus and leave the doctrines out of it. It was _organized _religion that was a curse to humanity, not the message of Jesus and the Good Book.

Emmeline and Liam couldn't help needling him every chance that they got. But she personally thought it better to let him be unless he tried to interfere in her business. She believed that all humans were worthy of God's love, not just the select few that adhered to his foolish narrow-mindedness. But that was the way that it was in families. There was never a dull moment among the Figalillys.

At least this week they could all agree on one thing. Phoebe had done well to marry her Professor. He had proven himself to be a good man. And it wasn't just because he had given her the child she had always wanted. He was welcoming back the little one into his home and would make sure that she had a good life. That counted a lot with all of them. It was easy to love their Phoebe and make a beautiful baby with her. But Trelawney was more difficult.

It was Dad's plan that the little one would come home for Christmas. It would be his gift to them both and mean more than anything that he could buy them. Lew had told him that it would take a month to sort out the particulars and Dad had decided that they would wait until the custody was final before moving her back. Yes, Sylvia did love a happy ending. She was very much looking forward to the joyous occasion before them.

**The End**

_And in the next story, the Christening and more of the Figalilly family members to amuse and delight you._


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